High voltage generating device

ABSTRACT

A high voltage generating device formed of an elongated case, or housing, having a piezoelectric element seated at one end and having a hollow slide telescoped into the other end. A striker is telescoped into the slide and biased into an extended position by a power coil spring. A blocking member is secured to the housing formed of a latch and an adjacent cam surface. Thus when the slide is pressed inwardly the striker is blocked by the latch storing up energy in the power spring until a point is reached where the cam surface is triggered by the slide thereby to release the striker to strike the piezoelectric element. A return spring restores the slide to its initial position. In the preferred embodiment the blocking member is of L shape having a base which is sandwiched between the return spring and the piezoelectric element and having an arm which registers with a longitudinal slot formed in the housing. Assembly is facilitated by providing ears on the slide for holding the striker captive and ears on the housing for holding the slide captive therein.

United States Patent 1191 Iwasaki et al.

[111 3,826,952 1451 July 30, 1974 1 -HIGH VOLTAGE GENERATING DEVICE [75] lnventors: Shingi Iwasaki; Kiyoshi Obata, both of Tokyo, Japan [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 14, 1972 Japan 47-107259 52 us. c1 3 17/81, 310/8.7, 317/010. 11, 317/95, 431/255 51 1111. C1. F23q 3/01 [58] Field of Search 317/D1G. 11, 81, 95; 310/83, 8.7; 431/255 [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS,

3,408,153 10/1968 lshiguro 431/255 X 3,449,637 6/1969 Susuki 1 317/81 3,457,461 7/1969 Steinke et 111. 317/81 3,466,474 9/1969 Ochiai 310/87 3,475,654 10/1969 oChiai 61 al. 317/81 3,509,388 4/1970 Mifune at 11. 310/87 3,521,987 7/1970 G010 431/255 3,540,823 11/1970 Ebinc Ci H1 431/255 3,541,360 11/1970 Tonari 310/87 3,729,639 4/1973 Heinouchi 310/83 Primary Examiner-Volodymyr Y. Mayewsky Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wolfe, Hubbard, Leydig, Voit & Osann, Ltd.

[57] ABSTRACT A high voltage generating device formed of an elongated case, or housing, having a piezoelectric element seated at one end and having a hollow slide telescoped into the other end. A striker is telescoped into the slide and biased into an extended position by a power coil spring. A blocking member is secured to the housing formed of a latch and an adjacent cam surface. Thus when the slide is pressed inwardly the striker is blocked by the latch storing up energy in the power spring until a point is reached where the cam surface is triggered by the slide thereby to release the striker to strike the piezoelectric element. A return spring restores the slide to its initial position. In the preferred embodiment the blocking member is of L shape having a base which is sandwiched between the return spring and the piezoelectric element and having an arm which registers with a longitudinal slot formed in the housing. Assembly is facilitated by providing ears on the slide for holding the striker captive and ears on the housing for holding the slide captive therein.

10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUL 3 0 I974 SHEET 1 [IF 2 Fig. 2

1 HIGH VOLTAGE GENERATING DEVICE This inventionrelates to a high voltage generating device using a piezoelectric element.

The conventional piezoelectric high voltage generating device to be used for portable gas lighters for smoking use and the like devices has been so complicated in the manufacturesof striker and spring to be engaged .-with it and in the assembly works of piezoelectric element housing case and operating members, and has required so many steps that it has been difficult to massproduce products of a uniform quality.

Certain suggestions have been made with respect to the structure of the device referred to, but none of these suggestions has been successful. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,200,295, wherein a sear l6 engaging an impacting member 140 is provided for a spring 163 and is operated at the lower end of a cylinder 126, has defects that, when the impacting member operates, the sear will frictionally contact it to obstruct a smooth operation'and that a voltage generating mechanism must be assembled individually in a main body 100 and can not be assembled easily. Further, for example, British Pat. No. 1,220,609 is superior to others in respect of assembling a high voltage generating mechanism in a single body but has defects that, as it is necessary to assemble it while a rotational bias is applied to a striker with a spring, it is difficult to assemble it in a constant quality and that a troublesome step of setting a stop rod on the striker is required. The present invention is suggested to eliminate the above mentioned defects.

A main object of the present invention is to'provide a high voltage generating device of which component parts are simplfied and easy to make and require only remarkably simplified assembly steps.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a high voltage generating device which is smooth in the operation, high in the durability and uniform in the quality.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a high voltage generating device wherein an engaging member with the'striker is formed of a rigid plate member so that a resilient bias will be applied to the engaging'member by utilizing a resiliency for resetting the striker'and, therefore, the engaging member is positive in the operation and is little in the deterioration.

The present invention shall be explained in detail in the following with reference to accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of high voltage generating device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an axially sectioned side view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same as disassem bled into respective parts;

FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory view of engaging member in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows engaging member in section in another embodiment; and

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of the present invention in axially sectioned side view.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, and as will be seen best in FIG. 3, a piezoelectric element unit 2 is integrally formed by housing a cylindrical piezoelectric element in a substantially'boxshaped metallic case 2b through a substantially cylindrical insulator sleeve 2a and fitting an 2 impact receiving metal piece 2c to an edge of the insulator sleeve 2a. In order to pull out a lead wire, a terminal hole 2d is provided in the insulator sleeve 2a. A case or housing 1 made of such metal as steel or of a hard plastic is formed substantially in a box shape and has a wide slot 1a in the lengthwise direction in the upper part and an opening lb at an end for enabling an operating box, or slide, 3 for operating the device to be accommodated in the case 1 slidably in lengthwise direction. The above described piezoelectric element unit 2 is fixed inside the case 1 at the other closed side. A projection or ear 4 is integrally formed to project inward from each of opposed side walls of the case 1 so as to engage in an aperture 5 made in each of the two opposed side walls of the operating box 3 and thereby the operating box 3 is prevented from coming out of the case 1. An engaging or latch member 6 is made of a metal or any other rigid plate, so as to comprise a base or bottom plate 7 having a substantially semicircular notch 7a to fit over the insulator sleeve 2a and an arm 8 connected at an end to the plate 7 as bent to form substantially an L shape, with the arm 8 occupying a normal position in the slot 1a. The latch member has at its tip a latch surface 9 and a trigger formed by an adjacent pair of earns 12. Said bottom surface 7 is inclined slightly inward by an angle 6 from an imaginary plane vertical to the axis a of the member 6 as shown in FIG. 4. This angle 0 is set to be in a range of 0 to 20 and, more particularly, 3 to 7, preferably, As the arm 8 can be rotated toward and away from the axis a by the presence of the gap of this angle 6, the latch 9 can be brought into accurate engagement at a fixed position with a stepped part 11 of a striker 10 which is made of a metal. The latch 9 is bent inward so as to contact and engage with the stepped part 11 of the striker l0 and the cams 12 are bent so as to cause the latch member 6 to be rocked upwardly upon sliding engagement of the operating box 3 therewith. A return coil spring 13 is fitted between the operating box 3 housed slidably in the case 1 and the bottom plate 7 of the engaging member 6, so as to bias the operating box 3 always outward for resetting the same after operation. A driving, or power, coil spring is fitted between a closed bottom part of the operating box 3 and the striker l0 fitted in the other open end of the box so that the striker 19 will be biased in the direction of striking the piezoelectric element unit 2. Projections 15 are formed in the apertures 5 of the operating box 3 and are bent to project inside after the driving spring 14 and striker 10 are housed in the box 3 so that the porjections will engage the stepped part 11 so as to pre vent the striker 10 from coming out of the box 3. A slot 16 is made on the upper surface of the operating box 3 so as to freely pass the arm 8 therethrough. The slot 16 is provided with stepped parts 16' adapted to engage slidingly the earns 12 of the engaging member 6 so that the engagement of the striker 10 with the engaging member 6 at the latch 9 and the stepped part 11.

Assembly steps of the device according to the present invention shall be explained in the following.

First of all, the projections 15 of the operating box are properly bent inside in the state where the driving coil spring 14 and striker 10 are housed in the operating box 3 and the projections 15 will engage with the stepped part 11 of the striker 10, so that the striker 10 will be prevented from coming out of the box 3 and thereby the assembly of this part is easily completed.

Then, the projections 4 of the case 1 are bent inside after thejpiezoelectric element unit 2 and engaging member 6 are housed in the case 1 and the above described operating box 3 is inserted into the case 1 with the spring 13 interposed between them. In this state, the projections 4 will engage in the apertures 5 of the operating box 3 and thereby the operating box 3 is assembled so as not'to come out of the case 1 but to be able to be relatively displaced in the case 1. In such state, the resetting spring 13 will not extent completely and its resiliency will act on the bottom plate 7 of the engaging member 6 to give to the member a bias which causes the arm 8 to be in the direction indicated by the arrow b in FIG. 4, so that the nail 9 will strongly contact and positively engage the stepped part 11 of the'striker 10.

The operation shall be explained in the following. The nail 9 of the engaging member 6 is normally in contact with the stepped part 11 of the striker 10. Therefore, when the operating box 3 is pressed toward the piezoelectric element unit 2 against the force of the resetting spring 13, the driving spring 14 set between the striker and operating box 3 will be also compressed to accumulate energy. When the above mentioned pressing is further continued, the stepped parts 16' at the end of the slot 16 of the operating box 3 will contact the insides of the outward bent nails 12 to gradually push up the arm 8 of the engaging member 6 until the latch 9 of the engaging member 6 disengages with the stepped part 11 of the striker 10, so that the striker 10 will quickly run toward the piezoelectric element unit 2. due to the energy accumulated in the drivingspring 14 and will give an impact to the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric element unit 2. When the pressing force to the operating box 3, is released after the striker 10 strongly strikes the piezoelectric element, the operating box 3 will be pushed back to the original position by the resetting spring 13 and the latch 9 will contact and engagepart 11 of the striker 10 so as to establish the original state.

In the above described formation, it is desirable that, in order to prevent the operation of the striker from be coming nonsmooth due to the friction by the striker 10 pressed against the lower surface of the case 1 by the latch 9, as shown in FIG. 6,. a slot 17 is provided in the lower part of the operating box 3 and a projection 18 I is provided on the case 1, or alternatively on the striker 10, passing through this slot 17 so as to reduce the contact areas and friction both between the case 1 and the operating box 3 and between the operating box 3 and the striker 10.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the engaging member, wherein an engaging member 26 is formed of a set of rigid plates opposed to each other and each of which corresponds to the engaging member 6. The arms 28 of the respective members 26 have latches 29 and triggers 32. A bottom surface 27 having a semicircular notch 27a is also inclined somewhat inward. A pair of the arms 28 opposed to each other are biased inside by the resetting spring 13. In the case of using such engaging member 26, a pair of slots respectively correspondingly to the slot 16 in the case of FIG. 1 is made as opposed to each other in the operating box3, so that there will be two arms having similar latches engaging with the striker 10 to improve the balance of the engagement between the engaging member and the striker.

What is claimed is:

1. A high voltage generating device comprising an elongated case for housing a piezoelectric element unit including a piezoelectric element and electrical terminals for connection of said element to ignition means, said element and terminals being electrically insulated from said case at least one polarity side, an operating box inserted in said case in a position opposite said unit and slidable endwise of the case, a return spring inserted in said case for normally biasing said operating box to said position, a striker housed in said operating box slidably in the axial direction thereof and having a stepped part at the tip, a spring housed in said operating box pressing against said striker, and an engaging member formed of a rigid member bent at substantially right angles to provide a bottom plate and an arm, said arm being provided at an end opposite to said bottom platewith a blocking means for latching'said stepped part of the striker and a trigger means operated by said operating box for releasing the striker from said blocking means so as to strike the element to thereby generate a high voltage,and said bottom plate being interposed between the piezoelectric element and the return spring.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bottom plate is notched to straddle the tip of the piezoelectric element unit, and said end opposite to the bottom plate of the engaging member comprises at least two portions, one of which is inclined outward to serve as said trigger means and the other of which extends inward to serve as the blocking means for the striker.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein the angle 0 by which the bottom plate of said engaging member is bent with respect to the arm is in the range of 0 to 20.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 3 wherein said angle 6 isin the range of 3 to 7.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said operating box is provided with an inward projection adapted to engage the stepped part of the striker so as to prevent the striker from coming out of the box.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein a pair of said engaging members is arranged as opposed to each other around the return spring.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said operating box is provided with a slot on one side thereof and said case has a latch extending through said slot to blockingly engage the periphery of said striker.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said operating box is provided with a slot on one side thereof registering with a slot in the case, the blocking means including a latch and a cam surface, and means at the end of the slot in the operating box to engage the cam surface to release the latch when the box is pressed into the case.

9. A a high voltage generating device the combination comprising an elongated housing forming a slideway and having a piezoelectric element seated at one end, means providing an insulating terminal for the element, a hollow slide telescoped in the housing, a return coil spring biasing the slide into an extended position relative to the housing, a striker freely telescoped in the slide, a power coil spring for biasing the striker into an extended position relative to the slide, a latch in the housing interposed in the path of movement of the strikerso that when the slide is pressed inwardly against the return spring the striker is held back accompanied by compression of the power spring, and a trigger actuated by the slide upon reaching a fully inwardly pressed position for releasing the latch thereby to release the striker which is accelerated to high velocity by the power spring to impact the piezoelectric element, the housing being provided with a pair of inwardly-bent integral ears for preventing escape of the slide an the slide being provided with a pair of inwardly-bent integral ears for preventing escape of the striker to facilitate assembly of the striker into the slide and the slide into the housing for permanent retention therein.

10. A a high voltage generating device the combination comprising an elongated housing in the form of an open-ended box bent from a flat piece of metal forming a slideway, said housing having a longitudinal slot and having a piezoelectric element seated at one end therein and electrically insulated from said housing at least one polarity side, said piezoelectric element having electrical output terminals, an elongated hollow slide in the form of an open-ended box of a dimension which permits slidable insertion into the housing, a return coil spring biasing the slide into an extended position relative to the housing, said housing having integral lugs for preventing escape of the slide, a striker freely telescoped in the slide, a power coil spring disposed in the slide for biasing the striker into an extended position relative to the slide, and a latch member lying in the slot of the housing and of substantially L shape having a base portion which is held in said lying position by the return spring, said latch member having an inwardly extending latch surface interposed in the path of movement of the striker for blocking movement of the striker so that when the slide is manually pressed inwardly against the return spring the striker is held back accompanied by compression of the power spring, and said latching surface having an associated trigger cam surface in the path of movement of the slide and which is engaged by the slide as the latter reaches its fully inwardly pressed position for camming the latch member outwardly of the slot so that the striker is released for impacting the piezoelectric element at high velocity under the urging of the compressed power spring so as to provide a high voltage, with the return spring serving to restore the slider to its initial extended position upon release of manual pressure. 

1. A high voltage generating device comprising an elongated case for housing a piezoelectric element unit including a piezoelectric element and electrical terminals for connection of said element to ignition means, said element and terminals being electrically insulated from said case at least one polarity side, an operating box inserted in said case in a position opposite said unit and slidable endwise of the case, a return spring inserted in said case for normally biasing said operating box to said position, a striker housed in said operating box slidably in the axial direction thereof and having a stepped part at the tip, a spring housed in said operating box pressing against said striker, and an engaging member formed of a rigid member bent at substantially right angles to provide a bottom plate and an arm, said arm being provided at an end opposite to said bottom plate with a blocking means for latching said stepped part of the striker and a trigger means operated by said operating box for releasing the striker from said blocking means so as to strike the element to thereby generate a high voltage, and said bottom plate being interposed between the piezoelectric element and the return spring.
 2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bottom plate is notched to straddle the tip of the piezoelectric element unit, and said end opposite to the bottom plate of the engaging member comprises at least two portions, one of which is inclined outward to serve as said trigger means and the other of which extends inward to serve as the blocking means for the striker.
 3. The combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein the angle theta by which the bottom plate of said engaging member is bent with respect to the arm is in the range of 0* to 20*.
 4. The combination as claimed in claim 3 wherein said angle theta is in the range of 3 to 7*.
 5. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said operating box is provided with an inward projection adapted to engage the stepped part of the striker so as to prevent the striker from coming out of the box.
 6. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein a pair of said engaging members is arranged as opposed to each other around the return spring.
 7. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said operating box is provided with a slot on one side thereof and said case has a latch extending through said slot to blockingly engage the periphery of said striker.
 8. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said operating box is provided with a slot on one side thereof registering with a slot in the case, the blocking means including a latch and a cam surface, and means at the end of the slot in the operating box to engage the cam surface to release the latch when the box is pressed into the case.
 9. A a high voltage generating device the combination comprising an elongated housing forming a slideway and having a piezoelectric element seated at one end, means providing an insulating terminal for the element, a hollow slide telescoped in the housing, a return coil spring biasing the slide into an extended position relative to the housing, a striker freely telescoped in the slide, a power coil spring for biasing the striker into an extended position relative to the slide, a latch in the housing interposed in the path of movement of the striker so that when the slide is pressed inwardly against the return spring the striker is held back accompanied by compression of the power spring, and a trigger actuated by the slide upon reaching a fully inwardly pressed position for releasing the latch thereby to release the striker which is accelerated to high velocity by the power spring to impact the piezoelectric element, the housing being provided with a pair of inwardly-bent integral ears for preventing escape of the slide an the slide being provided with a pair of inwardly-bent integral ears for preventing escape of the striker to facilitate assembly of the striker into the slide and the slide into the housing for permanent retention therein.
 10. A a high voltage generating device the combination comprising an elongated housing in the form of an open-ended box bent from a flat piece of metal forming a slideway, said housing having a longitudinal slot and having a piezoelectric element seated at one end therein and electrically insulated from said housing at least one polarity side, said piezoelectric element having electrical output terminals, an elongated hollow slide in the form of an open-ended box of a dimension which permits slidable insertion into the housing, a return coil spring biasing the slide into an extended position relative to the housing, said housing having integral lugs for preventing escape of the slide, a striker freely telescoped in the slide, a power coil spring disposed in the slide for biasing the striker into an extended position relative to the slide, and a latch member lying in the slot of the housing and of substantially L shape having a base portion which is held in said lying position by the return spring, said latch member having an inwardly extending latch surface interposed in the path of movement of the striker for blocking movement of the striker so that when the slide is manually pressed inwardly against the return spring the striker is held back accompanied by compression of the power spring, and said latching surface having an associated trigger cam surface in the path of movement of the slide and which is engaged by the slide as the latter reaches its fully inwardly pressed position for camming the latch member outwardly of the slot so that the striker is released for impacting the piezoelectric element at high velocity under the urging of the compressed power spring so as to provide a high voltage, with the return spring serving to restore the slider to its initial extended position upon release of manual pressure. 